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Sunday, July 22, 2018

Yesterday, this blog turned five. As in five years old. As in HALF A DECADE!

What?!?

Way back when I first had the inclination to start a blog, I don't think I ever imagined how positively my life would be impacted by sharing my running adventures with the internet.

When I started writing in 2013, I was a relatively new runner on the verge of a huge life change. I had just moved two hours away from the only home I'd ever known to live with my boyfriend (now husband) and start a new job that was completely out of my comfort zone.

I was 100+ miles from home in a small town that didn't have a lot of folks my age. Besides Matthew and a few co-workers, I really didn't know anyone, let alone anyone in the running community.

So I started writing about running on this blog. Then I started some social media channels to connect with other runners. Pretty soon I was meeting up with strangers from the internet and agreeing to run races with them. I was making friends and meeting people and traveling and experiencing new races... because of this blog.

Suddenly, Matthew and I had an extended family of runners all over the world- all from this corner of the internet.

As I stand on the verge of another series of big life changes- home ownership, graduate school, new job- I can't help but reflect on how much this blog helped me five years ago and how I can't wait to see what the next five years as the "Sparkly Runner" holds.

Thank YOU for reading and running with me these last five years. I've loved every minute of sharing the road with you. Thank you for your support, comments, and community. You ROCK!

To celebrate Sparkly Runner's Fifth Blogiversary, I've teamed up with Altra Running who has generously donated a free pair of Altra Running Shoes to give away to one lucky reader!

One winner will be chosen at random- the more times you enter, the more chances you have to win. You can tweet every day for more entries!

The fine print:This giveaway starts today and ends at 11:59 PMon Thursday, July 26th. The winner will be notified Friday, July 27th by direct message or email and will have 48 hours to respond with requested information (name, address, shoe style, color, and size). If the winner does not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen. Winner will be selected at random from the comments/entries on the blog, instagram, facebook, and twitter.

Friday, July 20, 2018

A few months ago, I ran my fifth Steel Challenge in Pittsburgh, PA. While I've participated in Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend several times before, there's just something about this race that keeps me coming back for more- and 2018 was no different!

Flat runner for a 13.1 mile tour of the steel city.

This year, somehow, I ran a nine minute course PR and my second-fastest half marathon ever crossing in 2:30:01.In 26 half marathons, I've only run two of them in less than 2:31. Only two!

So how did this happen??

I have no idea! Seriously!

You might remember that somehow I also ran a 10 mile PR in March, just a few weeks before Pittsburgh. Can't say it was training- wasn't doing much. Can't say it was speed work- wasn't doing any. Can't say it was strength training or a special diet- definitely wasn't doing this- ha!

So what was it?

The magic of Pittsburgh. 😍

Really- I'm convinced this race and this city are magical.

And this year just had an extra dose of magic.

As per usual, Matthew and I met up with our running ohana early on that Sunday morning and then walked to the corrals together. Matthew and I had already decided to run separately so I dropped him off in C corral and continued walking to D corral with our friend Gloria.

We are pretty cute for 6 am :-)

We had made it into the corral pretty early so we had time to kill. I wandered up to the 2:30 pace group and kinda sorta thought I would hang with them for as long as I could. The pacers told me they would be straight running (I almost always run/walk) so I already had a feeling that this wasn't going to work out. But, when the race finally started and our corral finally got up to the start line, I joined the group and tried to keep up.

While the start of the race was just fine, by mile one I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with the group. And even though I'd gone in the corral, I had to go to the bathroom again; so shortly after the mile one sign I found a short port-o-potty line and spent about four minutes using the bathroom. By the time I rejoined the race, the pace group was long gone.

I put my headphones in, put my head down, and got to work chipping away at the miles. I soaked in all the sights around me, chatted with other runners (including Candi whom I met from instagram- I love the internet!), and slowly became aware of the fact that I was in PR territory.

My half marathon PR is 2:28:22 from the 2014 Shamrock Half Marathon. I know that to finish a half marathon in less than two hours and thirty minutes, each mile needs to be run at an 11:26 (or less) pace. And somehow, I was running the Pittsburgh Half Marathon with splits close to that target pace.

By mile six, I knew that a sub 2:30 half was actually possible. I stopped taking pictures and focused on getting to the finish line as quickly as I could. However, I did make a few very quick pit stops for a small cup of beer, a cupcake, and a jello shot from friends at mile 10. The people of Pittsburgh really know how to make a runner feel welcome!

Can you think of a better combo than cupcakesand jello shots?

After the boost of seeing friends at mile 10, the next 3.1 miles flew by. I was still thinking I could get a sub-2:30 if I hustled that last mile. I summoned as much energy as I could, rounded the last corner, saw the finish line in the distance and sprinted as fast as one can after 13 miles, and finished in 2:30:01, just two seconds from a 2:29:59.

Check out that 10th anniversary bling.

While there was just a moment of disappointment from missing the sub-2:30, overall, I was absolutely elated that I had executed a race plan that worked and led to my second-fastest half marathon ever. In fact, my last mile was a 9:47! I can barely run a 9:47 on my best day!

After collecting my smiley cookie and other finisher foods at the end of the race, I walked over to the finisher's village to get my Steel Challenge medal and met up with Matthew.

Will run for smiley cookies.

Unfortunately, Matthew and I had to get right on the road so we weren't able to stick around after the race like we usually do. Instead, we celebrated our race victories on the PA turnpike with rest stop pizza on the way home. 😊

Mmmm, turnpike pizza.

The Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend never disappoints. I am so grateful I've been able to have five years of memories and miles during this race weekend. If you are on the fence about putting this race on your calendar- don't hesitate! It's a phenomenal race weekend: well-organized, great runner swag, and challenging but fun courses.

Will we be back in 2019? Probably. I can't imagine where else we'd like to spend the first weekend of May! Besides on a cruise or in Disney World. 😉

Bridges for breakfast.

Thank you, Pittsburgh!

Is there a race/race weekend you've done several times? What do you love about it?

Monday, July 9, 2018

Today I'm writing you from beautiful Indianapolis, Indiana where I am spending the next week at a conference for work.

While I'm enjoying the conference, it has been so hard to stay on track while away from home! I have very little control over what I'm eating (the conference provides meals) and the schedule is demanding so there isn't much time to work out. But I'm trying to make it work as much as humanly possible. I'm really looking forward to being back and home and in my regular routine.Training
Monday: 2.26 mile run, 13:17 pace
Wednesday: 3.1 mile run, 12:37 pace
Saturday: 2.37 mile run, 12:41 pace
Sunday: 2.35 mile run, 12:46 pace

Total: 10.08 miles

Man, this summer heat and humidity is killing my pace! I've had to slow down considerably because of the summer weather. Sunday's run was HORRIBLE- the heat was so bad I ended up walking much of the last .75 mile. I am really not built for summer running. 😓

Running on fourth of July is always a good time- even if it's not part of an official holiday race! While it was hot and humid and not the greatest running conditions, I still got to sparkle in my patriotic Sparkle Skirt so that's got to count for something. 😍

Bravo Moment

This morning at the hotel gym, I conquered one of my fears- working out in public in front of a mirror! I don't always know what I'm doing when working out (besides running) so the fact that I grabbed some weights and made up a little cross-training/strength workout AND did it in front of other people is a huge accomplishment for me! And my muscles are sore tonight so I must have done ok for myself, right?

Quote of the Week

In the immortal words of my friend Dory, "just keep swimming!" Applicable to so many situations in life.

That's all for this week! Look for a recap of the Pittsburgh half soon!

Run in the coolest parts of the day- typically early morning or late evening. I'm particularly fond of running around 8:45 pm as I usually get to see some spectacular sunsets while enjoying the cooler weather.

Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water (and/or beer!) before, throughout, and after your workout. I've been using my OrangeMud hydration vest on pretty much every run this summer.

Ok, so back to last week's recap:

Training

Tuesday: 3.36 mile group run with Appalachia Running Company (ARC) and the Chambersburg Beer Runners, 11:02 overall pace

Saturday: 2.53 mile run, 11:58 overall pace

Tuesday's run was part of an Altra Running Demo at ARC so of course, I wanted to go to my second-ever group run and talk Altra with other runners. Typically, I do not participate in group runs. As a back-of-the-packer and run/walker, I usually find that at the smaller group runs in my rural area, there isn't anyone else there to run my pace and method with me.

View from the back of the pack. And a tractor, because Pennsylvania.

But about a half mile in, I started chatting with another SparkleSkirt runner, Chrissy, and we ended up running the whole route together. We talked about runDisney, beer (she's a member of the Chambersburg Beer Runners), half marathons, and running as a back-of-the-packer. It was awesome!

After the run, Evan (the PA Altra rep) brought us some Troegs beer and ARC provided yummy snacks. We stood around and talked about ultra marathons, the newest Altra shoes, and swapped race stories. All in all, a pretty solid Tuesday night.

The only thing better than running, talking about running. While drinking a beer. ;-)

Best Run

Tuesday's run, for all the reasons mentioned above, and because I was very happy with the 11:02 overall pace on a hilly route in humid weather.

Bravo Moment

Despite my current struggle with the scale, I've attended a Weight Watchers meeting the last three out of four weeks. Weekly weigh-ins are one of the keys to holding myself accountable and it's been great to get back into that routine; even if the results aren't always what I want.

I got a chance to try out my new Altra Torin 3.5's on Tuesday's run- they feature an all-knit upper and are the most beautiful shade of pink. :-)

Disney Marathon training starts next week (!!!) which should provide me with a solid base for the Harrisburg Half in September. I have some big goals for both races and I'm excited to start training consistently again.

😍😍😍

Best Run

Sunday's miles were as close to perfect as they could be. The temperature had dropped, there was a slight breeze, and everything on the trail was in full bloom. And the miles felt easy, so that's always a bonus.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

My apologies for the hiatus from blogging but I have an awesome reason...

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!

Matthew and I have been knee-deep in the house-searching and then home-buying process for the last two-ish months and it's been an absolute whirlwind of a summer so far!

Not only was finding a home stressful (homes sell in a matter of hours in our area), but once we found "our" home, the process of making an offer, getting approved by the bank, getting the home inspection, etc. was time-consuming and worrisome! There are a ton of moving parts to the process and it's probably the most expensive purchase we'll ever make so, yeah, kinda stressful! 😅

We absolutely love our new home and are excited to be homeowners! And I'm very excited to explore the area and find new running routes as my training picks up for fall races (so far, Harrisburg Half and probably WDW Marathon).

But, running/training has absolutely taken a back seat to the house stuff. All our time has been taken up with packing and cleaning and moving leaving little time or energy to run. I know I'll get back to my regular routine soon, but in the meantime, my weight has been creeping back up with the lack of regular physical activity.

Can you tell where I went on vacation?! ;-)

After a few weeks of travel in May, I gained about six pounds which was to be expected. Before vacation, I'd actually been doing quite well and my weight was on a downward trend, getting back to a number where I felt comfortable and fit.

But if you've been reading for a while you know that for me, "vacation + stress (from home buying) = weight gain." At this point in my weight loss/weight maintenance journey, I know this is normal. Life happens. My weight fluctuates from month to month, year to year, and it probably always will.

Still, I'm not super happy about my weight or my lack of training lately. But here's what I know for sure: I'll never stop trying. So, it's back to regular weekly weigh-ins, a training plan, and more consistent blogging here. Writing about running and weight loss is one of the ways I hold myself accountable and I'm usually much more consistent with both when I'm writing and posting regularly. Plus the blog turns FIVE YEARS OLD next month so I've got to plan something awesome to celebrate!

Ok, that's about it for this week's very unconventional Accountability Tuesday post! See y'all next week and as always, THANK YOU for reading!

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Y'all - it's finally summer! And with summer comes my least-favorite running weather: heat, humidity, and so much sun. While I love summer for all those same reasons, the weather doesn't make it easy for running outdoors. Staying hydrated in the summer months is critical to staying cool in the heat. So, how do you stay hydrated on the run? Check out my review below for a pretty neat option for taking your H2O on the road with you this summer!

The awesome folks over at OrangeMud sent me an Endurance Hydration Pack to review for the blog and I'm excited to share my thoughts with you!

Full disclosure- I received this hydration pack from OrangeMud in exchange for an honest review on the blog. I was not paid or compensated in any way for this review. As always, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Another full disclosure- I've never run with a hydration pack like this before. I've used a handheld water bottle and a running belt with bottles but nothing like this.

When I first opened up the Endurance Pack, I have to admit, I was a little intimidated. The bladder (the thing that holds the water) looked like it was going to be heavy to carry and I was a little worried about the actual pack itself- I have small shoulders and was nervous that it wouldn't fit correctly or move around too much when I ran.

Check out all those pockets. 😍

Despite my slight intimidation, I was so impressed with all the pockets/storage on this pack. On the front left-hand side there was a space big enough for my Samsung Galaxy 9 (which is a pretty big phone) and on each shoulder there were little pouches for GU or other gels. On the right-hand side there was another large pouch with a clip for my car keys. Pretty much everything I would take on a long run with me can be stored in this pack- plus WATER!

So. Much. Storage.

After filling up the bladder and loading it into the back of the pack- staying in place with a velcro strap- I tried it on. I had watched some videos about fit on the OrangeMud youtube channel so I felt comfortable adjusting the straps for a solid fit.

Another cool thing about this pack- totally adjustable front straps. You can criss-cross them, move them up or down, really anything to make the fit comfortable for you. As a woman blessed with lots of curves, I appreciate the multiple points of flexible adjustment!

Once I had the fit about where I wanted it, it was time to take it for a short run. A recent trip to the beach gave me the perfect mix of heat and humidity to try this pack out and see how it did on the run.

The first few minutes of the run were a bit awkward as I got used to the feeling of having something on my back while I was running. Despite my earlier adjustments, I did need to pull the side straps a little tighter to accommodate some minimal movement once I'd started to run. However, after about five minutes, I honestly forgot I was wearing it.

The fabric was comfortable and breathable- it was super sticky and salty running along the ocean but I never felt like anything was chafing or irritable on my skin. Having the extra large pocket for my phone was great. Not once did it I even feel the weight of it in the pack and it was nice to be able to have quick access to it.

For the front straps, I found it most comfortable to have one high across my chest and one low kind of across my diaphragm. I'd pulled the side straps as far as I could and then tucked the excess strap underneath the part of the strap that was taut. There was no movement of the pack or the straps once I'd adjusted it correctly. Even though I had on extra "weight," it didn't feel uncomfortable or heavy.

And let me tell you how awesome it was to have water on the run- so glorious, especially in the summer heat! I took this pack on a three and a half mile run and probably drank about a quarter of what it holds (two liters). I was a little worried there would be sloshing as the pack lost water but I didn't notice a thing. The hose was a perfect length for me- the pack came with a recommendation to cut it to a shorter length, but I preferred the original length. It was easy to use and easy to drink from on the run.

After having success on the run with the pack, I took it for a bike ride. It was even better on the bike, mainly because you have so many more storage options that you usually don't while riding a bike. Now I'm not much of a bike rider, but I do enjoy it on vacation. I can easily see this pack being used repeatedly on future trips when biking or hiking is involved- it carries water and so much more.

The perfect accessory for holding all your crap while on a bike.

Overall, I can see this pack becoming a main staple in my training runs. I loved the option of having water with me and having so many extra pockets and pouches to store food, keys, my phone, etc. It was comfortable, adjustable, and easy to use.

And while I didn't use this feature, it actually has a safety whistle built into one of the front straps. As a female runner who often runs alone, this feature gives me extra piece of mind while I'm training solo- and the fact that this pack easily stores my mace in a place that can be readily accessible. 😄

If you've been looking for a hydration pack that is comfy and useful, take a closer look at the Endurance Hydration Pack from OrangeMud. There are tons of runners and hikers that use and love this brand- and it's easy to see why! From the storage options to the low-profile design, this is an awesome way to carry your water- and anything else!- with you on the run!